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ARS Home » Midwest Area » St. Paul, Minnesota » Soil and Water Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #389577
Research Project: Developing Aspirational Practices Through Improved Process Understanding to Protect Soil and Air Resources and Increase Agricultural Productivity in the Upper Midwest U.S.

Location: Soil and Water Management Research

Title: Aeration

Author
item Venterea, Rodney - Rod
item ROLSTON, DENNIS - University Of California, Davis

Submitted to: Book Chapter
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/8/2022
Publication Date: 9/8/2023
Citation: Venterea, R.T., Rolston, D. 2023. Aeration. In: Gross M.J. and Oliver, M., editors. Encyclopedia of Soils in the Environment. Second edition. Amsterdam, Netherlands:Elsevier. p. 216-224. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-822974-3.00039-2.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-822974-3.00039-2

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: In a general sense, aeration is the interchange of gases between the atmosphere and the earth. This interchange results from soil biogeochemical reactions that consume or produce gases and thereby create concentration gradients that drive gas movement. The key reactions include plant and microbial respiration, other biological processes such as fermentation, nitrification and denitrification, chemical reduction/oxidation reactions, and incorporation of materials such as fumigants, anhydrous ammonia, and volatile organic chemicals and contaminants. Gas exchange is also largely governed by the physical structure and water content of the soil and can be affected by pressure fluctuations. The term aeration is often used more specifically to refer to soil oxygen (O2) and carbon dioxide (CO2) levels, where O2 generally moves from the atmosphere to soil and is consumed, and CO2 is produced in soil and moves to the atmosphere. Soil O2 levels regulate numerous soil processes that have ecological impacts including greenhouse gas emissions and also affect agricultural crop production and remediation of contaminated soil.